Organizational humanization: definition and measurement

Research on humanization is fragmented, generally focuses on dehumanization, and prior to this study no validated measure of organizational humanization existed. To address this gap, I defined organizational humanization and evaluated the Organizational Humanization Scale (OHS), a nine-item measure of perceived organizational humanization. The OHS integrates autonomy, individuality, and dignity as related dimensions and uses adapted items from established measures of work autonomy, work group inclusion, and workplace dignity to preserve continuity with the content of those measures. Using a cross-sectional survey of full-time employed adults in the United States (N = 441), I evaluated the OHS's internal consistency reliability and evidence of structural, convergent, internal discriminant, and nomological validity. Results supported a second-order factor structure representing a humanization general factor reflected by autonomy, individuality, and dignity subscales. The OHS showed positive associations with workplace social capital and work engagement. Comparisons with established measures of autonomy, inclusion, and dignity on which the OHS was based showed similar associations despite the OHS consisting of fewer items. These findings provide initial support for the OHS as a concise measure for integrating autonomy, individuality, and dignity within organizational humanization research and applied assessment.